Topics - opticalalchemy

I know I'm double posting, but the Rutgers-Camden board is pretty dead, so I figured to give General a shot.

I missed out on the whole off-campus living aspect of undergrad; I was an RA for three years on a campus that has 80% of its students in dorms. Karma for all those busts has finally kicked in and I find myself oh-so-woefully unprepared for a renter's life. To paraphrase, I have absolutely no idea what to do now. I don't know what I'm looking for, but would like to avoid on campus housing again because its time to grow up (so to speak).

What has me nervous -- other than the greater than zero possiblity of getting shanked in Camden -- is the rent. Rutgers offers $14,000 in maximum aid to cover room and board. This is particularly frustrating, as the rent of where "all the cool kids go" is about $1k a month plus some utilities. If their estimate/maximums only include the academic year, it doesn't seem so bad. On the other hand then, I would have to come up with that money over summer when I should be doing my 1L internship. I am terrified of going broke.

That being said, do must 1Ls room with other law students, are do they attempt finding a studio/basement/bonefide hellhole for themselves? For those that have $1k rents, how do you afford it? And for those of you that are familiar with Rutgers, Camden or Philly what would you suggest?

Does anyone have experience in Camden's joint degree program? I received an interesting offer with the possibility of picking up a masters with my JD. The program is seems only explicit on a few programs (JD/MBA, JD/MD), but also has an "ad-hoc" MA option with faculty consent. I'm interested in pursing an MA in political science or history, but I can't find any information on such programs.